Loren Erdrich

Loren Erdrich (b. 1978) lives and works in New York City where she is currently represented by SHRINE gallery. Her undergraduate degrees include a BA, magna cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA in 2000, and a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago, IL in 2005. In 2007, she received her MFA from the Burren College of Art at the National University of Ireland, Galway. Erdrich has presented multiple solo exhibitions with SHRINE gallery (New York, NY and Los Angeles, CA) as well as a two-person presentation at The Armory Show in 2022. She has participated in many global exhibitions including Harper’s (East Hampton, NY); Nicodim Gallery (Los Angeles, CA); superzoom (Miami, FL); Guts Gallery (London, UK); Herrero de Tejada (Madrid, SP); and Bricks Gallery (Copenhagen, DK). Erdrich has also been awarded residencies at Yaddo; Elizabeth Murray Artist Residency; Jentel Foundation; Santa Fe Art Institute; Sculpture Space; Vermont Studio Center; and Art Farm Nebraska. Her work has been written about in publications such as Cultured; DNA Mexico; FAD; ArtMaze; Maake; the Chicago Tribune and Il Giornale dell’Arte. She frequently collaborates with the poet Sierra Nelson, coauthoring the award-winning I Take Back the Sponge Cake (published by Rose Metal Press, 2012) and Isolation (limited edition artist book, 2020).

How does experimentation with materials lend itself to the work you produce?

I find great inspiration in finding new uses of my materials. I am not a methodical or exacting person in the studio – a lot of my painting practice is comprised of trial and error. It is an intuitive process and I am in a continuous conversation with my materials. Sometimes this results in paintings I’m pleased with and other times the piece goes in the trash. This can be maddening, but it can also be magical. For example, one day I might happen to apply a substance directly to the canvas instead of mixing it prior and suddenly a whole new way of painting will open itself to me. The process is vulnerable and responsive to the changing circumstances of each painting. Other mediums might be easier but I cherish these material’s sets of idiosyncratic risks and possibilities, over a guarantee of efficacy.

Although your work is figurative, in what way does your work at times transcend into esoteric realms?

I want to paint like a poet. In poetry, the space around the word is often as important as the word, and this is what I hope to achieve through my paintings: to weave earth and air, the material and the incorporeal, the representational and the abstract.

Do you have a preferred painting size to create?

While I paint both large and small works, I have a special appreciation for small paintings. Though I know it’s often the opposite for painters, I find a greater freedom in the smaller works. There is something incredibly intimate about leaning over a small painting, encompassing it with both my physical body and vision. That said, larger works afford me more space to achieve an interplay between tighter more detailed moments and large swaths of fluid color. In general, I find that I gravitate towards paintings that are just off a square. I attribute this to the fact that I will often rotate pieces throughout the painting process, before ultimately choosing an orientation. Elongated rectangles tend to shout their orientation quite early, while paintings that are closer to a square remain open longer, which I appreciate.

Can you describe your sculptural process?

In my ceramics, there is the same sense of agency afforded to the materials as in my paintings. Most materials I use are inherently difficult to control and prone to transgressing boundaries. These qualities, coupled with my often “incorrect” ways of using them, create a dynamic push and pull between deliberate and unintentional gestures. In ceramics, I do what I can, in both the building of the form and the application of glaze, but ultimately as the piece enters the kiln I am not in control of the end result. It’s incredibly similar to my painting process.

What core principles influence your practice as an artist?

Experimentation, vulnerability, play, poetry, slowness, connection, showing instead of telling, whispering instead of yelling.

Who is somebody currently living that you have the most respect for in the art world?

Maja Ruznic is an artist I’ve loved and respected since I was introduced to her over a decade ago. It’s been a joy to watch her work and career evolve.

Is there an institutional show or collection that would be meaningful for you to be in?

There are so many it is hard to name just a few. Just to be supported and recognized means so much. Off the top of my head The FLAG Art Foundation, ICA Miami, and Pond Society. It would also mean so much to be part of the permanent collection at The Art Institute of Chicago, The Phillips Collection, Whitney Museum of American Art, The Bronx Museum of the Arts, and the Brooklyn Museum. They have all played such important roles in my exposure to art as both a child and as an adult.

Describe what an ideal public or private space would look like for your artwork to reside in.

Somewhere comfortable with gorgeous soft natural light. In a culture that demands speed, my paintings require slowing down. This deceleration can feel like a radical act. If one takes the opportunity to stay with the paintings, variations in hue and luminance slowly emerge and shift with a change in the light. Elements overlooked in search of instant gratification become apparent. The ideal space would encourage this slowness in looking.

Which artists would you like to be in a group show with in the future?

Maja Ruznic, Mimi Lauter, Josh Hagler, Katherine Bradford, Marlene Dumas, Klara Kristalova, Nickola Pottinger.

Which part of the art ecosystem excites you the most for the future of your practice?

Obviously, the artists! I’ve always been an artist’s artist for which I am grateful. And I tend towards artists that really immerse themselves in their materials and process. I am also incredibly grateful for residencies – particularly rural residencies. I’ve lived in NYC for 15 years and I rely on my time on residencies to allow me to slow down and deepen my connection to the natural world. Those experiences are invaluable to my work.

‘Little Stars’ is currently on view at SHRINE Los Angeles from June 1, 2024 to July 13, 2024 (below).